For the Nets, the start to the new season has not been smooth. In the season opener, they lost to the Bucks 104-127 on the road, encountering a black opening. Within the team, many unstable factors also persist. For example, Irving still has no specific time to return to the team because of the problem of vaccination. Originally, the Nets hoped to renew Irving and Harden at the same time in this offseason to retain the lineup of the Big Three, but Harden did not sign the contract of early renewal, which also made people worry about whether Beard would lock his future with the Nets.
For such concerns, Harden also gave his own answer after the opening game. "To be honest, all my attention now is focused on staying physically fit, I'm going to get my body into the right rhythm and ready to play a great season," Harden said. ”
There are many rumors that because of Irving's situation, his future situation at the Nets is unclear. So Harden may also be thinking about his future. If the situation between Irving and the Nets deteriorates, Harden may also choose to leave. For such rumors, Harden also bluntly gave a negative answer.
"I have no plans to leave this team, and I'm not going to shy away from the situation we're in now," Harden said, "and my focus right now, to be honest, is on the new season that has already begun and how to help the team win the championship." Contracts are a problem that I will solve when the time comes, so I will focus all my energy on this season. ”
In fact, if only from the economic point of view, Harden does not renew his contract in advance this year, which is more conducive to his future money. Harden's contract this year is $44.31 million, and he has player options next summer, and if he renews his contract with the Nets next summer, he can sign up to a super-maximum salary of 223 million for four years. According to the proportion of salary increases year by year, Harden can receive an annual salary of $61.8 million in the final year of this contract, and he will also become the first player in the NBA to earn more than 60 million yuan a year. Such a salary increase may be the fundamental reason why Harden did not renew his contract this summer.
However, the premise of taking so much money is that Harden will play well this year and lead the Nets to good results. "Last year I didn't play well enough for personal health and other reasons, so this year I feel like I need to prove myself on the court and show my strength," Harden said. ”